Insights to Excellence (i2e) provide exactly what the name suggests.
Established in 2006 as a not-for-profit i2e was created to foster and promote an awareness of manufacturing excellence and better practice within the Victorian business community.
Today Insights is more relevant than ever playing an important role for Australian manufacturing and service based industries, supporting a more sustainable community of better practice i2e increasingly embraces health and supply chain sectors.
Simple and brilliant at the same time i2e uses proven experiential knowledge transfer methodology we call an Insight that pairs exemplar hosts with aspiring participant enterprises looking to improve. Being on similar journeys to excellence, host and participant enterprises exchange ideas, concepts and process thinking benefiting both host and participant.
Discussion at a host Gemba further refine and improve the participants understanding; they are encouraged by the host to tailor the concepts to their own operation and ‘Steal with Pride’. Insight’s typically lasts three to four hours, are facilitated by an experienced practitioner who supports the host to ensure participants experience better practice and are able to take-away key learnings.
Australian Insights began in 2002, inspired by similar tech diffusion initiatives operating at that time in the UK and Canada entitled ‘Inside UK Enterprise’ and ‘Innovation Insights’ respectively. Today Insights operate in many advanced economies, transforming businesses, operations and industries.
Underpinned by an impeccable track record in program delivery, i2e continues to work with funding partners such as Victorian and Tasmanian Governments to further develop the Insights model. From an original innovation focus Insights has expanded to currently embrace the public offerings of; Supply Chain, Service, Design and Sustainability Insights. Supported by an increasing number of private and international events shaped around the specific needs and timing of an enterprise.
i2e are said to be the ‘Ideas Factory’ - A place where participants learn from the best, share experiences, in a supportive community pursuing better practice.
Landmark events for i2e include Jayco Caravans sharing excellence with the 4,000th Innovation Insight participant in 2006 and 2010 seeing Black Widow hosting the 7,000th participant.
Archie Cowan
Insights to Excellence
Archie Cowan, Managing Director
Archie
Cowan has accumulated almost 40 years change management experience that
has afforded him excellent opportunities to develop and deliver a
comprehensive portfolio of Excellence tools, practices and systems
across the automotive, print and packaging industries on two
continents.
Archie’s 40 years of experience commenced in the 60’s as an apprentice
industrial methods engineer in the automotive industry, emigration to
Australia in 1980 saw the focus of continuous improvement activities
change to the print and packaging industries where he held several
senior roles with Amcor, Visy and Southcorp.
Archie‘s Journey of Excellence continued as the Department of
Innovation and Industries face of manufacturing excellence during the
delivery of the Agenda for New Manufacturing where the responsibility
for successful delivery many of the Agenda’s numerous programs afforded
him an opportunity to form strong bonds within the international
excellence communities. More recently, Archie’s role at the Industry
Capability Network reinforced his desire to get more Industries on the
Journey of Excellence leading to job creation thro an export focus.
Archie’s passion for transforming Industry utilising lean and green
principles was recognised in 2006 when he received the Association for
Manufacturing Excellence Jim Watkins Award for his contribution to the
excellence movement in Victorian manufacturing.
Archie
Cowan: archie@i2e.org.au
0417 919 143
Garry Miller, Design Insights
Garry is a true design evangelist having started out as a Three
Dimensional with a keen interest in engineering. From the outset he
believed that business success was interconnected to the ability to use
design strategically as well as tactically. Thus leading to more
desirable products and services and an exemplary ability to drive sales
through branding and communication.
In 1997 he joined a select team of specialist design counselors working
for the former UK Department of Trade and Industry’s flagship business
support service, Business Link. Achieving notable success for his work
in promoting and demonstrating the benefits of design to business he
worked internationally for the British Council and developed a close
working relationship with the UK Design Council whom he joined in 2004
as their Intermediary Development Manager. This post culminated in the
co-creation of their flagship national design program entitled
Designing Demand which inspired the Victorian Government’s $15m Design
Victoria initiative.
Prior to relocating to Melbourne he was Managing Director of Inspiring
Difference Ltd, which advised companies and regional government on how
best to use design to drive innovation and to create more profitable
and sustainable businesses. A Certified Practicing Marketer, Garry
occupies a unique space between business thinking and design where he
promotes distinctiveness and discourages price competition.
Garry is the founding director of Compete Pty Ltd, which advises
businesses on how they can benefit from the latest design thinking to
stay ahead of the competition and fully exploit ever-changing market
conditions.
Garry Miller: garry@i2e.org.au
0409 999 616
Nola DeGraaff,
Community
Insights, Admin and IT
Nola has over 25 years experience in community welfare which affords
her an understanding of the many facets of the sector, including child
care, aged care, psych disability, mental health and domestic violence.
This knowledge, alongside her successful delivery and management of
information communications systems that support community based welfare
organisations and her years as an Administration Manager, gives her a
unique understanding of the limitations and variations of the support
sector.
Nola has a passion for equity and community support which she has been
able to combine with her knowledge and a desire to deliver
best practice systems in Administration and Information Communication
Technology to ensure the best possible outcomes are achieved within the
welfare sector.
Nola deGraaff: nola@i2e.org.au
0407 508 888
Ian Young, Founding Director
Director of the Manufacturing Best
Practice Program, his current role is focussed on the development and
delivery of a program to expose, inspire and develop tomorrow’s
manufacturing leaders. Ian previously played a key role in establishing
the South Australian Centre for Manufacturing.
He has been a member of the AME (Australia) since 1992, an active
member of the board since 2003, a member of the Xelerate to Xcellence
conference committee, and is currently responsible for Membership
Development.
Ian Young: ian@i2e.org.au
0409 036 403
Hugh O'Donnell, Founding Director
Hugh
is an internationally experienced business improvement leader with an
impressive track record as a GM and Management Consultant. He has over
20 years experience in change management and performance improvement in
blue chip companies in Europe, USA and Australia. He held General
management positions with AMCOR, UpRight International, Searle and,
Yves Rocher.
Hugh has a broad business knowledge in Finance, Marketing, Strategic
Planning and General Management. He completed extensive training in
Total Quality Management, World Class by Principles, Lean, Business,
Process Re-engineering and participated in Senior Management Programs
at Mount Eliza Business School. He is a Board Member of the Association
of Manufacturing Excellence and travels extensively internationally for
business excellence forums.
Hugh is a Director of High Performance Consortium International,
Insights to Excellence and VTO coaching and Consulting. He facilitated
Leadership Development Programs for Mount Eliza Business and as a
consultant, facilitates "Strategy into Action" . Clients include AMCOR,
PPF, PZ Cussons, Ame Systems, Invensys, PMP, Telstra and FMP.
Hugh O’Donnell: hugh.odonnell@hpc.org.au
0410 689 815
